OLD TOWN, Maine — Three scrap metal thieves were caught on Friday morning with pipes and wiring taken from the inside of a vacant house on Bennoch Road, Old Town police Capt. Kyle Smart said Tuesday.

Kristi R. Corliss, 19, of Argyle and Jared M. Healey and Kyle Dubay, both 21 of Old Town, all were charged with burglary and theft, the police captain said.

“They basically were gutting the inside of this abandoned house,” Smart said. “They had cut out quite a bit of the wires and copper piping. It was in pretty bad shape already. Of course, it’s worse now.”

Officer Lee Miller found the trio in a gravel pit next to the empty house, where they parked their vehicle, and caught Corliss carrying a couple buckets of scrap metal, the police captain said.

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“The buckets were full of electrical wire,” Smart said.

At first, the trio said they had permission to take the metals, which can be sold as scrap metal for cash, but eventually changed their stories, the police captain said.

“Dubay has two prior theft convictions so he was charged with Class C theft and burglary,” Smart said.

Corliss and Healey both face misdemeanor theft and burglary charges, he said.

All three were taken to Penobscot County Jail and later released, a jail official said Tuesday.